Hail To Lucy! All Of Lucy Hale Horror Movies In Order

Some actors’ appearance defines, to some extent, the roles they get, at least at the beginning of their careers or when they are not talented enough to get out of the tape casting. In the world of horror films, we see, for example, actors who play the bad guy, such as Brad Dourif from the “Chucky” films, Richard Brake, and others. An actress can be mainly gothic (Jenna Ortega, for example), promiscuous (say, Shannon Elizabeth since “American Pie”), and also play the “girl next door,” an innocent girl who gets into unpleasant situations, perhaps on a journey towards the dark side.

Can we place the American actress, singer, and model Lucy Hale in the latter group? It is unclear. Despite her sensual but rather innocent appearance, which undoubtedly influenced the roles she has played over the years in horror and other genres, in film and television, she has shown a certain complexity in the roles she has taken, acting talent, and even singing abilities.

Even though Lucy Hale hasn’t yet signed on to too many blockbusters or an endless list of horror films, her resume does include some significant roles in our favorite genre. From a minimal role in “Scream 4,” to the hit “Truth or Dare” to the disappointing “Fantasy Island,” let’s get to know all of Lucy Hale horror movies.

Lucy Hale: Gone Is The Girl, The Wonder Remains

Lucy Hale – her full name is Karen Lucille Hale – was born on June 14, 1989, in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. She studied from home, and to fulfill her dream of entering the entertainment world, she studied acting and voice development.

In 2003, at 14, Lucy Hale took her first step towards fame. She competed on the reality show “American Juniors,” the “kiddie” version of American Idol. Hale did well in the competition, performing songs by Celine Dion, The Temptations, Blondie, and others, and came in fourth place. She was then part of the surprisingly named group “American Juniors,” which included the five contestants who finished first in the competition. The group released two albums and disbanded.

Although Hale moved into acting, she continued to develop a musical career (“her first love”), including an album called “Road Between” in 2014. It was a country album that raised some eyebrows initially but received quite a few compliments, with Hale getting comparisons to Carrie Underwood, for example. In a sidebar, we will tell you that she showed off her vocal abilities in several films, such as the soundtrack to “A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song,” the musical television series “Katy Keane,” and even a not-so-bad rendition of the theme song from “Breaking Bad,” among others.

Aria Breaks The Way

At the same time, since around 2005, Lucy Hale has been trying her luck in the acting world. She has had guest roles in several well-known series, such as “How I Met Your Mother” (where she played Robin’s younger sister in two episodes), “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide,” “The OC,” “Private Practice,” “CSI Miami,” and more. She played a supporting role as Becca Sommers, the sister of the main protagonist Jamie Somers (Amy Ryan) in NBC’s “The Bionic Woman,” and began to receive attention.

Her big breakthrough was in “Pretty Little Liars,” a role she is said to have received without an audition – simply because the producers knew her from her multiple supporting roles. Hale played the main character, Aria Montgomery, for seven seasons in the hit series, which made her a huge favorite among the younger generation. For this role, she received several awards, primarily those related to teenagers: seven Teen Choice Awards (the highest number of wins by an actress in one series), a People’s Choice Award, the Young Hollywood Awards, the feminist Gracie Award, and more.

Since then, Lucy Hale has had a decent career in Hollywood – even if we haven’t seen her in too many blockbusters. Her first film role was in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2” as Alexis Bledel’s little sister (where did Alexis Bledel go?). Since then, Lucy Hale has moved between romantic comedies that I have to watch with my wife because she doesn’t like horror movies, but I am glad to watch with her: for example, “A Nice Girl Like You” (2020), “The Hating Game” (2021), “Puppy Love” (2023), “Which Brings Me to You” (2024), and more. In most of these movies, Hale has shown that she not only looks great but also has a decent sense of comedy. She has also done some dramas and crime films, but we are not here to discuss them.

The Great Complexity Of Lucy Hale

It is impossible to ignore Lucy Hale’s appearance: on the one hand, the doll-like face of the “girl next door.” On the other hand, sex appeal and an attempt to occasionally break her relatively innocent image, such as in the movie “Dude,” which included a rather daring nude scene with the dude from “Hereditary,” or “A Nice Girl Like You” in which she plays a somewhat restrained musician, who embarks on a wild journey of self-discovery after her ex accuses her of being too restrained.

Speaking of nudity, Lucy Hale said that she auditioned for the lead role in the “50 Shades of Grey” film trilogy – a role that ultimately went to Dakota Johnson – and that it was a moving experience for her. “I’m sure you guys are very familiar with what the books are about, and it was just as uncomfortable as you think the audition would be,” she said. “But, you know, I’m really excited to see it, but they told me I had a baby face and it would be weird for people to watch that. So I didn’t get it”.

In general, Lucy Hale has a complex personality. On the one hand, she is known as a die-hard animal lover, participates in various charity activities, and gives the impression, in interviews, of an intelligent and friendly girl with a head on her shoulders. On the other hand, her life story is a bit complicated. In 2012, she revealed that she suffered from an eating disorder as a child.

Another problem Hale dealt with at a later stage in life was alcohol addiction. In 2024, she revealed that she had been “clean” from alcohol for about two years and claimed that rehab saved her life. Since then, Hale has served as a kind of ambassador for recovery, a role she initially hesitated to accept upon realizing she could use her fame and power to change others.

Hale has between 15 to 20 tattoos, depending on who you ask and when, and she may be the celebrity with the most tattoos you’ve ever missed: Most of her tattoos are small to inconspicuous and sometimes even hidden by makeup. The tattoos make her keep on her body experiences, such as a small elephant that symbolizes her charity trip in Cambodia. She has tattoos dedicated to her sister, her grandmother, and even a joint tattoo on her fingers, which spells out the word “SHHHH,” which she got with her “Pretty Little Liars” castmates.

Lucy Hale Horror Movies

Although it is still difficult to define Lucy Hale as an actress primarily associated with the horror genre, and certainly not with bombastic definitions like “Scream Queen” or “Final Girl,” she has starred in several significant horror films in recent years. Hale has repeatedly testified to her love of our favorite genre, which included, for example, “underground” viewing of the horror classic “The Exorcist” at the age of 7. One of her favorite films is “Paranormal Activity,” which she says felt real.

Fear Island (2009)

“Fear Island” is the second film in Lucy Hale’s filmography, after that small role in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2”. This Canadian low-budget TV movie starred Hale alongside Aaron Ashmore (“The Shrine,” “The Retreat”) and Hayley Duff, Hilary’s older but somewhat less famous sister.

“Fear Island” begins with a wild summer party of five young people in a secluded cabin on a remote island celebrating their graduation; one is Jenna, played by Hale. The party ends when the guys discover a body on the island, while the only boat that can get them out of there has disappeared.

From that moment on, a pretty likable slasher begins, as a mysterious killer starts murdering the young and attractive guys one by one, perhaps as revenge for something. In the process, we try to discover the killer’s identity, but what exactly happened in the past that caused the killing spree?

We highly recommend not seeing the characters’ names in the cast because there is a specific spoiler for what happens in the film. Still, it includes a lot of twists, not all of which make sense, regarding the characters’ identities. It’s hard to say that this film left a mark, but the result is certainly not bad, and in our context, it was Lucy Hale’s first foray into the world of horror.

Scream 4 (2011)

We continue with a minor role for Lucy Hale, this time in the somewhat maligned fourth film of “Scream.” A lot has been written and talked about the opening scene (or scenes) of “Scream 4,” with several plots that turn out to be a film within a film within a film or some reflexive sketch that probably went a little too far because it’s cool to be reflexive.

In any case, we get Lucy Hale in the opening scene of “Scream 4” as one of the two young women who receive a mysterious phone call from Ghostface before he brutally murders them. After that, we get the opening credits, ending credits, or whatever it is for “Stab 6,” and then “Stab 7” and some other crap, with guest appearances by some other interesting actresses like Anna Paquin and Kirsten Bell.

Here’s the opening scene in question from “Scream 4,” “Stab 6,” or whatever it is:

“Scream 4” also had a pretty decent plot, in which our Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) returns to Woodsboro after 15 years to promote the book based on her story, but from that moment on, a new series of murders begins. It has some lovely moments and a very successful Ghostface character, but too many people judge the movie for its weird opening. Sorry, Lucy, but it’s none of your business.

Truth Or Dare (2018)

As you may have already read in our article about horror movies related to the game of Truth or Dare, it can be the basis for the beauty of a horror movie. Blumhouse’s “Truth or Dare” from 2018 is probably the most significant and successful Lucy Hale horror movie, with profits of about $ 95 million (a little less than “Scream 4”, but her role in it was, as mentioned, limited). Hale gets the lead role, takes the film on her shoulders, and does a great job.

“Truth or Dare” takes place on vacation in Mexico, when friends participate in a deadly game of – guess what – Truth or Dare. The main heroine is Olivia, played by Hale, who begins the movie as a girl who is too good. She meets a man named Carter (Landon Liboiron) at a party, who invites her and her friends to drink in an abandoned church because it’s not creepy or weird. They start playing “Truth or Dare,” but they quickly discover that the nice guy has chosen a supernatural version of the game for them, the rules of which are evident: whoever doesn’t do what they’re supposed to do, that is, fail the duty challenge or lie in the lie challenge, will be killed, or at least make a creepy smile before doing something terrible (sound familiar, the writers of “Smile”?).

Like many other horror stories of this type, here, too, we get creepy looks from characters, jump scares, and a few revelations, some more logical and some less so. While the gang fights for their lives, Olivia discovers what made the game so deadly and what they can do to break the cycle. It’s hard to say that “Truth or Dare” is a masterpiece, given the rather negative reviews it received, but in this writer’s opinion, it’s enjoyable in its own way.

Not long ago, director Jeff Wadlow revealed plans for a sequel starring Hale and Tyler Posey, the first film’s survivors. They were about to start filming, but the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic arrived and disrupted the plans. The sequel to “Truth or Dare” has been shelved, and according to the director, it may not come to life because simply too much time has passed since then. On the other hand, we live in a world where horror films are coming back from the dead after more extended periods – for example, next year we’ll see “Final Destination 6”, 25 years after the first film in the successful franchise and 14 years after the fifth – so it’s impossible to close the door on “Truth or Dare.”

Fantasy Island (2020)

As you may have already understood from previous films, Lucy Hale is not the girl you would want to take with you to a deserted island.

“Fantasy Island” was supposed to be a delightful film. It is based on the ABC television series from the 70s, including a pretty nice cast (Lucy Hale in the lead role, and Michael Peña, Maggie Q, and others). Behind it are Jason Blum and the guys from Blumhouse Productions, and the creators also collaborated on “Truth or Dare” quite successfully. The same Jeff Wadlow directed the film, and the screenwriters – besides Waldo himself – are Chris Roach and Gillian Jacobs (not to be confused with the outstanding actress with the same name), who also wrote: “Truth or Dare.”

Oh, how disappointing this film is. The basic idea of ​​”Fantasy Island” is that a group of people win a competition, seemingly or not, and arrive on a lovely tropical island where all their wildest fantasies are supposed to come true. At first, it seems fun because each of them fulfills their dreams. Melanie (Hale), for example, finally manages to get revenge on the bully who bullied her in school. Things quickly get out of hand, and the illusions turn into nightmares. The partygoers rapidly realize what is on the island that makes the fantasies come true (some lie related to spring water), and they should be careful what they wish for because it could come true in terrible ways. The situation gets out of control, and between killings, the heroes try to understand the island’s secret and the connections between them because they probably didn’t end up here by chance.

“Fantasy Island” was produced with a modest budget of about $7 million and grossed almost $50 million, a handsome sum. Despite this, many critics and viewers slammed it from bottom to top, and quite rightly so. The film itself is messy, unmemorable, and uneven. It’s hard to say that the cast’s performances, including Hale, are the most impressive of their careers.

F*** Marry Kill (2024)

The truth is that the official genre of “F*** Marry Kill,” if you go by the various websites, is a comedy thriller with romance and mystery, or in short: “a dating movie with a killer twist,” as its pink poster proclaims. But the plot here is about a serial killer; the poster features a knife and there is a “whodunit”, so we quickly included it in our Lucy Hale horror movie review.

In “F*** Marry Kill,” Lucy Hale plays Eva, a 30-year-old (exactly!) who can’t find herself in a relationship. On the advice of her friend, she joins a dating app just as a serial killer known as the “Swipe Right Killer” is roaming the city, apparently killing women he dates on the app. Eva, a fan of true crime and podcasts on the subject, has to find out which of the men she’s dating is the man for the wedding, who’s just looking for sex, and who would kill her if he had the chance. We haven’t seen the film yet, but the result seems funny, self-aware, silly, and endearing.

“F*** Marry Kill” was directed by Laura Murphy (“Cursed Friends”). The cast includes, alongside Hale, Virginia Garner (who has taken part in quite a few horror films, such as 2018’s “Halloween,” “Monster Party,” and the excellent high-altitude thriller “Fall”), Brooke Nevin (“I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer”), Jedidiah Goodacre (Chad Charming in “Descendants ” and the monstrous AI film “Margaux”), and more.

Interestingly (or sad, depending on who you ask), the film was supposed to hit screens worldwide in December 2024, but its release got postponed to March 7, 2025, due to distribution date considerations. Quite a few digital stores and viewing platforms were unaware of this change, so the film was available to watch (or download) on its original date for a few hours before being completely removed.

We will continue to follow Lucy Hale’s career, hoping for more horror movies and TV series.

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